In The Meantime
by asirnay
Summary: I loved that they made Addison and Callie friends on the show. This is what I thought could've happened between Episode 3.09 "From A Whisper To A Scream" and Episode 3.10 "Don't Stand So Close To Me".
1. Chapter 1

Dr. Addison Montgomery found herself feeling unusually giddy. Much like the first time she laid eyes upon a certain neurosurgeon by the name of Derek Sheppard. She knew he'd eventually ask her to marry him. She knew that they would build this fantastic life together. The both of them doctors, practicing medicine in New York. What she didn't foresee was allowing Dr. Mark Sloan to corrupt that perfect life that she intended to have with her husband. She lost perspective.

She thought she regained perspective, trying to build something with the man she allowed to ruin her perfect life. Addison had a point to prove. To herself and to Mark. There had to be more between them that just sex. Mind blowing sex. There had to be a reason why they both chose to betray Derek. There had to be a reason to break up the union between them. They were no longer Derek and Addison, the perfect couple with the perfect life and the perfect hair. They were no longer Derek and Mark, brothers from another mother. Instead, Derek moved to the other side the country in order for him regain perspective. He gained that and then some. He met the woman who may well have been the love of his life. A scrappy young intern with dreams of her own. Her name was Meredith Grey.

Addison thought she regained perspective when she was summoned to Seattle, where Derek now called home. She had a second chance to make it work. Despite the fact that they gave it their all. Despite the fact that Mark followed her to Seattle in order to woo her back to New York. Despite the constant presence of Meredith Grey. Nothing could change the fact that the love was no longer there. Derek knew it. It took finding Meredith's panties in the pocket of his tux on the night of the prom, the same night Denny Duquette died, to make Addison realize that her marriage was about to come to an end.

With the divorce from Derek finalized and Mark now on the staff at Seattle Grace, Addison found herself a free woman. A wildly attractive free woman at that. What was stopping her from living her life? Derek was able to freely pursue a relationship with Meredith. Mark, initially in Seattle to comfort her, seemed intent on sleeping with anything with a pulse, including Addison's newfound friend, one Dr. Calliope "Callie" Torres.

Strangely enough, their indiscretions with Mark Sloan didn't deter them from becoming friends. It wasn't the same, realizing that Callie had done the dirty deed with him as it was finding out about Derek and Meredith on prom night. She loved Derek with all her heart. Mark was simply lust disguised as love. Addison and Callie bonded over sharing a harrowing experience. They witnessed a young married couple, clearly very much in love with each other, having their happiness shattered when their child was stillborn.

Addison was grateful to Callie for reaching out to her in her time of need. She often confided Dr. Miranda Bailey, a resident at Seattle Grace whose no-nonsense approach to guiding her interns earned her the nickname "the Nazi". Bailey told it how it was, straight, no chaser. Like the day Mark Sloan joined the staff at Seattle Grace. Addison once again found herself in need of finding perspective. She called Mark when it became evident that she would no longer be married to Derek. Mark had a way of making Addison feel as if she wasn't at the top of her game. When she was in need of advice, Bailey suggested keeping her legs closed. The advice clearly hit Addison where it hurt. Yet it was enough to jostle her out of the pool of self-pity she suddenly found herself immersed in.

It would have been nice, Addison thought, to have someone who could truly empathize with what she was going through. Bailey compartmentalized her life. What happened at home stayed home. And what happened at work wasn't allowed to interfere with went on at home. Bailey was disgusted with the fact that interns and attendings carried on relationships with each other. She was annoyed with how at times those relationships carried on inside the walls of Seattle Grace. It was unprofessional in her eyes. Yet, the one man who could possibly put an end to it all, the Chief of Surgery, Dr. Richard Webber, was dealing with the consequences of his own indiscretions.

Addison searched endlessly for Callie. Something had just happened and she needed her friend's feedback. Something totally unexpected that she definitely could not, would not seek any form of advice from Miranda Bailey. She knew that Callie's shift would be over soon, and so was hers. Yet she checked the OR board to see if Torres had any surgeries lined up. She didn't. Addison checked the Nurse's station. No one had seen her for quite some time. Nurse Debbie offered to send out a page, which Addison obliged to. As she walked away, Addison overheard the nurses resume the endless amounts of gossip they normally engage in. Something about how Dr. Torres was furious with Meredith Grey. So furious that she slammed Grey's petite frame up against a locker. Not even Izzie Stevens, who was more of match physically for Callie, was able to shield Meredith from the wrath of Dr. Torres. Addison figured perhaps the incident had something to do with another intern, one who Callie loved very dearly, one George O' Malley.

The search for Callie continued. Addison figured that Torres' needs were more important than her own at the moment. She wasn't in the Gallery, observing a surgery. Nor she was in the lounge, where Addison first realized that something had happened between Callie and Mark. Torres later confirmed that something indeed had happened between them. Addison could see how Callie would be attracted to Mark, better known to some as McSteamy. She herself was drawn in by his cocky demeanor. More times than she probably should've allowed herself to. She saw a kindred spirit in Torres. They both found themselves often on the outside looking in, Callie more so than Addison. Underneath Torres' tough exterior was someone who had been self-reliant for so long she struggled with the connections she made. She struggled with O'Malley and the fact that he was so gun shy from his failed attempt at being with Meredith Grey that he couldn't bring himself to say those three little words she had been waiting to hear from him. She struggled with the fact that O'Malley constantly put the needs of his roommates ahead of his own. That had Torres standing on the outside looking in once more after finding some semblance of being accepted. Addison arrived in Seattle intent on repairing her marriage with Derek. Which meant taking him away from Meredith, everyone's favorite. Probably the reason Addison initially received a less than friendly welcome from many at Seattle Grace.

Addison took a moment from her search to rest upon an empty gurney downstairs near the basement. She knew that interns used to frequent the area when not on call. They had long since abandoned that hideaway in favor of a new one, inside the room of a senior citizen in a coma. No ever visited the elderly patient, hence the interns were able find a few moments of peace and quiet before being called back to duty. Addison retrieved her Blackberry from resting on her hip. Torres' number was saved to her phone. She pressed the Blackberry to her ear, as she patiently awaited her friend picking up. After several rings, Callie's voice mail greeting played: "You already know what to do. Go ahead, do it." BEEP!

Trying hold in her laughter after the beep, Addison couldn't resist snickering at the beginning of her message. "Torres? It's me, Addison. Didn't I tell you that you should change that greeting of yours? It's not very professional." She began snickering even harder, to the point where let out a loud snort. No one fortunately was around to hear such a thing. Quickly she regained her composure, knowing that her time was limited for leaving a message. "Anyway, where the hell are you? I've been all over this place from top to bottom. You're nowhere to be found. Both of our shifts are just about done. I figured we maybe could head over Joe's for a drink. If not, we could do it some it some other time. Either way, give me a call as soon as you can. Bye."

The moment she hung up, Addison heard a noise that caught her off guard. She looked around, trying to find the source of that noise. Again she heard it. Addison was certain that the noise came from the basement. As she walked towards the darkness, her imagination brought to mind a scene from a horror movie in which she would be the next victim. Addison shook herself loose from her imaginary scenario. The noise grew louder. It was the sound of someone crying.

"Hello?" Addison called out to the unseen person overwhelmed with grief. "Is there someone down here?"

"Addison?" The voice called back, shaky and breathy.

"Yeah?" Addison responded sounding slightly unsure. She had a hunch about who the mystery voice belonged to. "Torres? Is that you?"

"Yeah. Come a little closer. I think I can see you."

Addison followed Callie's instructions. Torres was slumped against a naked wall, where posters of her favorite movies once hung. The area where she once called home was now barren.

"Torres? Are you alright? Better yet, why are you even down here, in this nasty old room?"

"Having a bad day."

"I can see that. But, why here?"

"Have a seat."

Addison looked at Torres as if she wanted to say Are you kidding? Were she wearing scrubs, sitting on the dirty floor near her friend wouldn't have been a problem. Obviously Callie needed a shoulder to lean on, a shoulder to cry on. Addison removed her pristine white lab coat, folded it up and placed it on the floor near Torres. She gently took her seat upon it. Callie immediately rested her head upon Addison's shoulder, her dark curly locks mingling with her friend's perfectly straight fiery red hair.

"Did you know I used to live down here?"

"Here? In the basement?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"Did anyone else know you were living down here? Did O' Malley know?"

"Yeah. Funny you should mention him."

"Why? I thought you two were broken up."

"We are. I mean, I thought there was a slight chance we would get back together. But then somebody ratted me out. George found about me and Sloan."

"Is that why you threw Meredith Grey up against a locker earlier? Did you throw her up against a locker?"

"You heard about that, huh? God, all people do around here screw each other, stab each other in the back and gossip."

"Amen to that, sister."

"I told Meredith that I slept with another guy. I was so upset that I couldn't even think straight. I forgot I didn't even mention that it was Sloan. All I knew I was that I was about to break that skinny bitch in half."

Addison snickered, trying her best not to snort in front of Callie.

"Seriously," Torres continued. "Grey was about to be toast. And Izzie, she tried to jump in. Always in someone else's business, as usual. I never liked Izzie. She's so judgmental. Like she never did anything wrong. I'm surprised at the Chief for letting her Coo-Coo For Cocoa Puffs ass back in here. The bitch cut a freakin' LVAD wire, for crying out loud! She cut the LVAD wire of the man she was soooo in love with! And she's got the nerve to throw shade on me! She doesn't even know me!"

"Easy, tiger, easy."

"I'm just saying though, Addison. You know, I didn't really care for Grey at first either. She hurt George so bad."

"What happened between Grey and O' Malley?"

"One night stand. It went very badly. So bad that George moved in with Burke and Christina for awhile."

"Seriously?"

"Addison, I kid you not."

"Wow, I guess I'm not in the loop after all."

"Oh, it gets better. Yang made Burke kick George out."

"I'm not so surprised by that."

"Yeah, me neither. She's so hardcore."

"Torres, you of all people shouldn't talk."

"Whatever. Anyways, George crashed with me down here for awhile. Eventually he made up with Grey and moved back in with her and Stevens."

"Wow."

"Yeah."

"So, you never really answered my question. Why are you hiding out down here?"

"Grey managed to talk some sense into me. It turned out she didn't say anything to George about the thing with Sloan at all. George told her. He thinks I cheated on him. But I didn't."

"I know you didn't, sweetie. But, who told George?"

"At this point, I don't even care if the freakin' Easter Bunny told him. I tried talking to him earlier. I tried to tell him that I didn't betray him. But he wouldn't listen. He yelled at me. He never raised his voice at me, ever. That scared me, it really did. It's like the guy I fell in love with isn't there anymore. Instead there's this guy who looks like him. Who walks and talks just like him. But he's all dark and twisty inside." Callie's voice began to tremble again. "I know I sound like I'm being selfish, Addison. I know he's having a rough time with his dad being treated here for his heart on top of having cancer. All I wanna do is be there for him. But he won't let me. And you know what? It's all my fault. All. My. Fault. I should never broken up with him in the first place. If I wouldn't have gotten frustrated with him and walked away, I would've never, ever slept with Sloan. I would've never thrown Grey up against a locker like that. God, I owe her an apology. But, I just can't face her right now. Not like this."

"I'm sure she'll understand. Don't be so hard on yourself."

"You don't understand. I never used to be like this, Addison. I was out there in the world. Me, myself and I. Guys would come and guys would go. Wouldn't have cared to shed a tear over 'em. And didn't. Then along came this guy who did such an amazing thing. He performed open heart surgery on an elevator stuck between floors. I don't even remember how high up they were. All I know that drop would certainly killed everyone on that elevator. But he kept his cool, he put his life on the line to save somebody else's. I just had to meet him. The other guys I've been with, they don't add up to half the man George O' Malley is."

"Yeah, he's seems like such a sweet guy. A kind, decent, sweet guy."

"He is, Addison. He is. You know what's funny though. Grey told me that Izzie, of all people, said that George was my McDreamy."

"What the heck is a McDreamy?"

Callie suddenly sprang up, finally looking at Addison eye to eye. "Oh, so you don't know then?"

"Obviously not. Care to fill me in?" Addison shifted in her seat trying to get more comfortable.

"I don't know if you wanna hear this but…"

"Go ahead. I have a feeling it's about Derek. At this point, anything regarding him, I'm practically bulletproof."

"Okay, from what I understand, Grey and Derek hooked as soon as they both started working here. It was on the hush-hush, 'cause as you well know attendings dating their interns is not allowed."

"Uh-huh." Addison broke eye contact with Callie.

"Uh-huh what? What was that?"

"Oh, nothing." Addison re-established eye contact with Torres.

"Yeah, it was something alright."

"No, trust me. It was nothing."

"Addison Forbes Montgomery." The way Callie uttered her friend's entire name was stern, yet she maintained a grin on her face. "You did something. Something that's got you feeling really guilty right about now. So come on, spill it."

"Okay, it's not really something that I did. It was more like I vibe felt. A moment. With an intern."

Callie was silent for a moment. The only other male intern she knew of besides her beloved George was "Karev? You had a 'moment' with Alex Karev? Yuck!"

"What's wrong with Karev?"

"What's wrong with Karev? How about what's right with Karev? Not a damn thing. He's so freakin' arrogant! He's like Mark Sloan's mini-me!"

"He's not that bad, at least not yet he isn't. That's what I told him. When we had our, um, moment."

Callie glared at her friend armed with a smirk. She began to laugh infectiously enough for Addison to follow suit.

"We are a mess, Torres."

"Speak for yourself. I mean I know I'm a mess. But you, Addison, you are the definition of a mess."

"Whatever, Torres. Come on. Let's get out of here and head over to Joe's. We never did get that drink we talked about."

"Screw Joe's. Let's do shots back at the bar at the hotel. That way, we won't have far to go when we're finally drunk."

"Sounds good to me. No interns. No work related drama. Just two gals enjoying each other's company. Only thing is I'm not trying to get drunk tonight. I'm just looking to unwind."

"You're such a wuss."

"Yeah, you're BFF's with said wuss, so what does that say about you?"

"BFF? Is that like a snooty New York thing?"

"Shut up!"

Torres threw her head back in full on laughter as Addison rose up from the floor. She picked up her lab coat and began dusting it off as Callie slowly stood up. She looked over at Torres, still laughing as if she performed the greatest joke ever told. Addison couldn't help but to laugh along with her again. The two doctors emerged from the darkness of the basement together, off to enjoy their after work hours, bonding over guzzling enough alcohol to allow them to forget the stress they endured that day.


	2. Chapter 2

Two gorgeous women entered the lobby of the Archfield Hotel. One was clad in a black leather jacket, a vintage rock n' roll T-shirt and hip hugging jeans. Her dark, curly hair bounced with every step she took. The other stood slightly taller with a lighter complexion than her friend. Her immaculate scarlet locks draped across her shoulders. Occasionally she would need to sweep it away from her face as it threatened to obscure her vision. Her attire would make the average person think she was a business woman. They weren't Dr. Torres and Dr. Montgomery, both surgeons at Seattle Grace Hospital, at least not after they left from work that night. In their place were Callie and Addison, two friends intent on drinking away their pain.

"Oh. My. God," Addison looked over Callie, one eye brow slightly raised. "You didn't do that. Please tell me you didn't do that."

"Yeah, I did. If I'd a known that Grey and Izzie were home, if I'd a known they were in the bathroom, I woulda turned right around and waited back in O' Malley's room. But I was like 'Screw it.' They already got a gander of the Wonder Twins." Callie glanced down at her ample bosom and looked back at Addison, who immediately chuckled at the reference. "They had already seen me in my red lace panties. And I really had to go."

"Wow, that's deep."

"I know. As if that wasn't bad enough, Izzie kept harping about how I didn't wash my hands."

"You didn't wash your hands? Eww."

"Addison, come on. I washed my hands. I went down to the kitchen and washed them. After I handled my business, I had to get out of there."

"Callie, sweetie, I understand where you're coming from. But in their eyes, you were probably the crazy stranger that was way too comfortable peeing in front of strangers. Naked at that."

"Well, if anybody knows crazy, it would be Izzie."

The dynamic duo strolled boldly into the bar. A tall, burly man stood behind the counter, wiping down its surface. His eyes lit up at the sight of Callie and Addison entering his establishment.

"Hey there, Callie. Didn't think you'd make down here tonight."

"And miss spending time with you? I wouldn't dare do such a thing." Callie was clearly in her element, all flirtatious with the bartender, as if nothing even happened to her earlier. Addison could see why she didn't want to hang out at Joe's. Nothing personal against Joe. He may have been a great listener and dished out great advice when needed. But that was their place. Izzie. Alex. Christina. Meredith. And George. She needed a break from the persistent drama that she had to endure being employed at Seattle Grace. She needed a place to unwind that she could call her own, even though her stay at the Archfield was temporary.

"So, who's the pretty redhead you brought with you?" Such a compliment brought a smile to Addison's face as she and Callie took their seats at the bar.

"Oh, where are my manners? Addison, this is Jerry. Jerry, Addison."

"Nice to meet you." Addison extended her hand out to Jerry. His large course hand met hers. He savored the soft feel of Addison's alabaster skin as he slowly shook her hand.

"Same here. I've seen you come into the lobby the last couple of weeks. I was wondering when you'd finally pay me a visit."

"I didn't even know the Archfield had a bar. Well, not until Callie told me."

"Yeah, I've been here for years. I ain't goin' no where. At least not no time soon. So, what can I get for you two fine ladies this evening?"

"Two shots of tequila for me and my friend here." Callie answered on her and Addison's behalf. "And keep 'em coming."

"Uh-oh. I know what that means. You still boo-hooin' over that ex of yours. When are you gonna finally forget about him and see what a real man is like?"

"That's funny." Callie looked around the bar and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't see any real men around here."

Jerry smirked as if it would deflect the impact of Callie's playful insult. He laid out four shot glasses in front of his two lovely patrons and poured into each one from a half filled bottle of tequila. Each glass was filled at the way to the top. Callie immediately grabbed one from the counter and knocked it back effortlessly. She looked over Addison, who was clearly hesitant to indulge in what her friend requested for her to drink.

"What's the matter, Addison?"

"Oh, nothing. It's just I never had tequila before."

"Uh-oh Jerry, we've got a virgin in the house." He snickered along with Torres.

"Callie!" Addison called her friend's name out, with eyes open wide and lips parted out of shock over friend's comment. "Oh, my God! You're incorrigible!"

"Go 'head, Addison. Knock one back. Pop that cherry."

"Fine." Addison picked up a shot of tequila set in front of her. She pressed the glass to her lips, taking in a small sample.

"It's called a shot, not a sip. Knock it back. Trust me. It'll go down better."

Addison finally followed through on her friend's instructions. Her lips twisted into a slight pout as she analyzed her reaction to her first shot of tequila. "Hmm. Not bad, Torres. Not bad at all."

"See I knew you'd like it." Callie knocked back another shot as Jerry poured her another.

"You never finished telling me about what a McDreamy is."

"Oh, yeah! I'm trying to remember where I left off."

"Something about how Derek and Grey hooked up in secret because of the rules about attendings dating interns."

"Riiight. From I understand, McDreamy was kinda like a code name for Derek at first. So him and Grey wouldn't get their business put out there. I guess from there, it evolved into a title for The Guy. That guy that makes your world just stop. Sheppard is Grey's. O'Malley is mine or was mine, I guess. Burke is Yang's. Denny Duquette was Izzie's. So on and so forth, et cetera, et cetera."

"Who do you suppose is mine?"

"Good question. You don't suppose it might be Karev, do you?" Callie threw her head back in laughter.

"I'm not even going to dignify that with a response." Addison took her second shot of tequila.

"Anyways, the whole McDreamy thing gave birth to Grey and the rest of the bunch to start sticking 'Mc' in front of everything. McThis. McThat. It's so…McNoying."

"Huh?"

"See? Even I'm McNaming everything. It's so freakin' ridiculous, I tell ya. The funniest one is the name they came up for our dear friend Mark Sloan."

"Something x-rated and vulgar, I'm sure."

"Depends. How does McSteamy float your boat?"

"McSteamy?" Addison laughed until she let out a snort, but she could've cared less. The dose of tequila she took was beginning to kick in. "Aw, how cute."

"NOT!" Callie chimed in. "I can't believe I called him that when I met him. How embarrassed was I."

"Were you drinking tequila when you called him that?"

"Of course, I was. I never would've said that to him completely sober."

"God, I hope not."

Another thing that Callie loved about the bar at the Archfield was that Jerry was nothing like Joe. The advice Joe gave was always helpful, always welcome. But, Jerry would allow you to simply be. He kept the drinks coming with his trademark service with a smile. He only interfered when necessary. Jerry noticed a man lingering near the doorway. He was an older, distinguished gentleman, golden brown skin with closely cropped gray hair. There was a look of weariness in his eyes. They bore witness to something that was a huge disappointment to him. Much like Callie and Addison, he took up residence at the Archfield when there was no where else to go. His wife left him recently, frustrated that he cared more about his career than he did about her. She issued him an ultimatum, either retire or lose her. He wasn't ready to retire. At least not yet. His shoulders carried many responsibilities. Responsibilities that he needed to know would've been left in very capable hands. There were once two men that he considered to succeed him. Both were respectable men in their own right, both honorable and both equally flawed. He loved and cared for both men, like a father would a son. Yet the one most worthy to fill his shoes had let him down. That man's shortcomings would cost the other the one thing he wanted most, to reunite with his wife. The older man found himself in despair. Enough despair to tempt him to dare entering a place where he need not be.

"Excuse me, ladies," Jerry's concerned voice broke through Callie and Addison's constant laughter. "Do either of you know that guy standing by the door? He keeps looking over here. Like he's looking at you guys. If you don't know him, then I'll ask him to leave."

Both Torres and Addison looked towards the entrance of the bar. Addison grew concerned once she saw who the older man was. "Oh my God, it's the Chief."


	3. Chapter 3

Addison quickly left the bar stool she occupied next to her good friend Callie to tend to Richard Webber, the Chief of Surgery at Seattle Grace. In some ways, he was like a father to her, warm and gracious. It was he who summoned her from New York. It was he who told Addison about her estranged husband finding love once again with an intern. His usual demeanor was laid back. Yet, if something infuriated him, he became a force of nature scarier than the Wrath of God.

This was a different side to Richard Webber. A side of him that frightened Addison. Defeated, disillusioned, despondent. The bar at the Archfield was the last place in the world he needed to be. He was a recovering alcoholic. Addison was well aware of the Chief's self-destructive streak. The look on his face read that he was feeling the Thirst once again. The Thirst he tried his hardest to quench years ago after he broke off an extramarital affair he once had with friend and colleague Ellis Grey, mother of everyone's favorite intern, Meredith.

"Chief," Addison spoke softly with much concern in her voice. "Richard. Are you okay? Is there something wrong?"

"You think if everything was okay that I'd be standing here?" The Chief's voice was deep and heavy, but couldn't mask the hurt he was feeling.

"Do you need someone to talk to? We can talk. Preferably not in here. We could sit out there, in the lobby."

The Chief looked downward to contemplate whether he should share his troubles with Addison. He breathed and exhaled through flared nostrils. "Fine. Let's talk."

Callie observed the exchange between Addison and the Chief from her seat at the bar with equal concern. She had no knowledge of Webber's struggle to stay sober. But if it was enough to worry Addison, it was enough to worry her as well. The Chief was always kind to her, even when he discovered that Torres was living in the basement of Seattle Grace. She knew he had been living there as well, shortly after his wife, Adele, left him. Something she mentioned when they were having a surprisingly casual conversation over coffee in her soon to be former place of residence. That day was a fond memory for Callie regardless of the fact she was forced to leave her makeshift home. George was acting jealous over the fact that Callie claimed a pair of panties pinned to the bulletin board. The same pair of panties that Meredith lost the night of the prom at Seattle Grace, after Grey had adulterous sex with Derek Sheppard, still married to Addison at the time. Torres had walked in on them in their post-coital moment. Grey was worried about finding said pair of panties, while Sheppard was contemplating the meaning of what had transpired before Callie walked in.

The fact that O' Malley was acting jealous and in denial of it was endearing to Callie. It meant that he cared. She loved him with all her heart, even if he didn't feel the same towards her. She knew had badly George was hurt by Meredith Grey, rejected the object of his affections. Callie knew she would have to be patient. She even went as far as to extend the olive branch to Meredith. If O'Malley was big enough to be willing to forgive Grey after all that happened, so could she.

Torres picked up yet another shot of tequila lined up in front of her. She glared at it hard before she knocked it back, wondering if she was developing a habit that could have her embark onto a self-destructive path, much like the Chief had many years ago. Callie also thought of the cute metaphor O'Malley came up with to describe their relationship. Ham and eggs. It wasn't so cute when he first mentioned it to her. Torres was already going out of her way to avoid O'Malley. She couldn't bear to face him after she had slept with Mark Sloan. Being compared to a pig was definitely not the highlight of her day. But she thought of what the pig symbolized, the person in the relationship that put themselves out there, the person that was committed. She thought of how she previously fulfilled that role George seemed ready to accept. Torres knew if she was to take O'Malley back, he'd have to take the reins of the relationship. At least at that point he was about to; before George found out about the night she spent with Sloan.

Callie retrieved her cell phone from her purse. No missed calls, no messages. She selected the inbox to her text messages from the menu. The majority of them were from George, of course. The day after she broke up with him, Torres sat alone in her hotel room, contemplating whether or not she should delete them. If she did, it meant she was ready to move on. But she couldn't. She wasn't ready. Callie selected one at random. It read, "Ghost In The Shell, 2nd gig, season finale! Tonight!" On the surface, Torres and O'Malley were the typical "opposites attract" couple. She was as fond of Japanese anime as George was. She loved to read comics and play video games, among other things the average person considered to be dorky. Callie found herself to be impressed just as by George's extensive comic book collection as she was that he was The Heart Surgery In The Elevator Guy.

Torres stared at the message, wanting very much to text George again. She selected Options from the menu, followed by Reply. A blank screen appeared, an empty slate waiting be filled with Callie's words. She was hesitant and for a good reason. Ever since George returned from his camping trip, he began acting differently towards her. The exact opposite of the guy that was finally starting to pay attention to her the way she desired him to. In addition to finding out about Callie's one night stand with Sloan, O' Malley was dealing with his father's illness. His leaky heart valve. His cancer of the esophagus, which spread to his stomach. Clearly, George was not in a good place. His brothers' didn't really seem to value his chosen profession. And his mom seemed more interesting finding out about George's love life than his own well being. Callie got along well with the obnoxious O'Malley siblings, even playing along with them in "Pick A Car", a game George never liked to participate in. George's parents thought of Torres as being sweet and thoughtful, and wondered why in the world things didn't work out between them.

Callie folded her cell phone shut and placed it back into her purse. She took yet another shot of tequila, her last for the night. After all she had rounds in the morning. There was nothing worse than dealing with patients and recovering from a hangover at the same time.

"You want anything else?" Jerry inquired, sensing she had reached her limit.

"Yeah," Callie replied, the tone of her voice was devoid of her usual warmth. "Um, a Coke, please. If you got any."

"Sure. Coming right up."

"Thanks."

Jerry quickly fills up a glass with soda and slides it front of Torres along with a small circular tray of beer nuts. "I figured you might want something to munch on while you wait for your friend to come back."

"Thanks again, Jerry."

"No problem."

Callie reached for a napkin and placed it near the glass of Coke. She grabbed a couple of beer nuts, placed them upon the napkin, and smashed them with her fist. The impact, combined with the loud crunching sound, caused Jerry to raise an eyebrow.

"Remind me never to get on your bad side, Torres."

Jerry's remark made Callie crack a smile before she munched on her snack. She needed that. She looked out towards the lobby where she saw Addison and the Chief in the middle of what appeared to be a very serious discussion. Addison sat upright, all prim and proper. Very ladylike in the way her long slender yet shapely legs were crossed. The Chief leaned forward, looking downward at his hands interlocked together.

"How could Burke be so irresponsible? Why didn't he tell anyone about the tremor?" Addison spoke with outrage about her once esteemed colleague. "Better yet, why didn't he tell Derek? He could've done something about this! He could've fixed this!"

"Addison," The Chief's heavy authoritative voice intended to coax the former Mrs. Sheppard into calming down. "Pardon me for being selfish right now, but Burke and Yang are the least of my worries."

"Yang was in on it too? I'm surprised at her. Out of all the interns, all of whom are exceptional, she struck me as the one with the most integrity. I never would've pictured her involved with something like this."

"She came to me. She told me about Burke's tremor, and her part in covering it up. Thank God no one died because of their foolishness. Or else I would've had to get rid of them both and that would've been only the beginning."

"Yeah, thank God. So, Chief, what are you planning to do about them? Are they going to be punished?"

"I haven't decided yet. That's the last thing on my mind right now. All I keep thinking about is how disappointed Adele is going to be."

"I don't understand. Why would she be upset? What does she have to do with all this?" Addison paused for a moment before she continued. All it took was the Chief looking her directly in the eye for it all to come together. "Oooooh. Richard, I'm so sorry. There I go, putting my foot in my mouth. Again."

Webber took Addison's hands into his after she let out a nervous laugh, followed by a snort. She briefly looked down and blushed from embarrassment. It unintentionally made the Chief smile. That smile didn't last very long, however.

"I promised Adele that I'd step down as Chief of Surgery. I promised her if she would have me back, she'd have my undivided attention. I knew that I had a choice to make. It wasn't an easy one. I had to decide who would be able to fill my shoes once I set foot out Seattle Grace for the last time as Chief. Derek, he's damn good. Well respected. Very focused. One of the finest neurosurgeons I've ever come across throughout my entire career. And as you well know, it's been a very long career. Then there's Burke. Also a damn good surgeon. Equally as focused and well respected. And I love them both. I love them as if they were my own children. All of you. Bailey. Torres. Yang. Grey. O' Malley. Stevens. Karev. Even Sloan. You're like family to me. But the one thing, the one quality that separates Burke from Derek is leadership. Burke is a born leader. Derek, he has the potential to be a leader. But he's not quite there yet."

Before Addison could respond, she took note a familiar face entering the hotel lobby. He walked with a swagger, as he thought every female in the whole wanted to be with him. His lengthy list of conquests did nothing but boost his already healthy sized ego. He didn't take notice of Addison or the Chief. Or he would've surely stopped by to speak and make one of his usual double entendre remarks. The kind of remark that infuriated Addison and turned her on at the same time. She vowed after her divorce that she'd never sleep with him again. He headed straight for the bar, where he was sure to run into Callie. In her state, she wouldn't be to receptive about seeing him either.

The Chief noticed the overly confident man walking into the bar as well. "That wasn't who I thought it was, was it?"

Addison pulled her hands away from Webber's paternal caress and rummaged through her purse for her cell phone. "Yes, it was. Excuse me, I gotta warn Callie."

Immediately, the Chief made the connection between the other three doctors. It was a scenario he had seen played out many times over throughout his tenure at Seattle Grace. He himself had once been a part of such a scenario.

At the bar, Callie took another sip of Coke when she heard a brief humming sound emitting from her pocketbook. Her cell phone was on vibrate. She quickly retrieved to find that it was Addison calling her.

"Hey, Addison," Callie answered, somewhat confused. "What's up?"

"Just figured I'd give you a heads up. You know who walked into the bar."

"You know who? Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Well, this is a surprise." A deep baritone voice spoke to Callie from behind her before Addison had a chance to reply. She heard the voice clearly though the other end of the conversation.

Torres turned around slowly to find the last person the world she wanted to see standing before her. Dr. Mark Sloan.

"Never mind, I'll call you back." Callie closed her cell phone, still glaring at Sloan with a degree of distrust.


End file.
